Hospitals and Jails

Mason Jennings

Lyrics

(tune down 1/2 step)

Verse

GEmC We could sit beneath the evening, let the day turn blue
I could never let the darkness replace the thought of you
C'mon, darling let's catch that train to wherever we call God
Maybe it's in Massachusetts, or... maybe not

Chorus

GEmC It's just you and I... it's just you and I, my dear
......... You and I... it's just you and I ........
Let's keep our boots pointed west, stay left of the police
Well, I know you're like a freight train to escape your family
You've got a father who has done you wrong, and a mother who doesn't care
Get your backbone up my darling, let down your hair
It's just you and I... it's just you and I, my dear
......... You and I... it's just you and I ........

Refrain

GC When all the world turns into hospitals and jails
I can always count on your love to be my bail
And we'll go traveling on from year to year, yeah
GDCm ...Just you and I, my dear
I've got my backpack full of fourteen cartons of cigarettes, cigarettes
I've got a bumper sticker on my chest that says no regrets, no regrets
I've got your love draped all around me...
...Like a big black cape, a big black cape
All the billboards on the highway say don't be late, don't be late
It's just you and I... it's just you and I, my dear
......... You and I... it's just you and I ........
When all the world turns into hospitals and jails
I can always count on your love to be my bail
And we'll go traveling on from year to year, yeah
...Just you and I, my dear
(instrumental chorus)
Well I woke up in the middle of the kitchen floor
I was listening for your knocking, but you weren't outside my door
And I know that you won't be coming 'round in the way I want you to
I wish you'd throw your arms around me
But it's not for me, it's not for me
It's not to be, it'll be just me
And I know I never told you how I felt
But you could never understand the blues that you have dealt me
So I'll keep traveling on from year to year, yeah
...Just you and I, my dear
...Just you and I, my dear
...It'll be the same every year
...It'll be just me, my dear
(end on G and let ring)

Notes & Tabs

Tune Down 1/2 Step

If you want to play along with the recorded album version of this song, then you'll need to tune your guitar down 1/2 step (which is what Mason does) and use the chords above. Note that this is by no means required to play the song -- you can play it in standard tuning if you wish, but this wouldn't sound right if you tried to play along with the recording.

Guitar Chords Used

Here is how to play the guitar chords used in this song. Very straightforward G, C, Em, and D. Note that most of this song uses the G-Em-C progression, with a very slight deviation occurring only in the "refrain" as labeled above. The Cm, used in the refrain may be a bit tricky if you've never learned bar chords... if this is a problem, you can fall back on a regular C chord.

Listen & Play

Want to listen to the song while you play? Here is a fan-made YouTube video to let you do just that. Remember, if you want to play along with this you'll need to tune your guitar down 1/2 step and use the chords above (or otherwise play in the key of F# in standard tuning). Alternatively, you could use this video for strumming pattern reference.

Chord Progressions

Verse

"We could sit beneath the evening..."

| G . . . | . . . . | Em . . . | C . . . |
(...repeat)

Chorus

"It's just you and I..."

| G . . . | . . . . | Em . . . | C . . . |
(...repeat)

Refrain

"When all the world turns into hospitals and jails..."

| G . . . | . . . . | . . . . | C . . . | . . . . |
(...repeat)

"Just you and I my dear..."

| G . . . | D . . . | Cm . . . | . . . . |

Song Info

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About

My name is David Potsiadlo, and I created Songnotes to share my collection of guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for my favorite songs.

Since I started playing guitar over 10 years ago, I've often been frustrated by the preponderance of mediocre and incomplete song tabs littered across the internet. To combat this, I started keeping my own collection of notes for each song I learn -- always taking the extra time to make sure accuracy and completeness are never compromised. Years later, my collection grew to the point where I knew I had to share it online with fellow aspiring musicians.

In December 2012, I began designing & developing a website that became Songnotes. Here, I share my personal collection of hand-crafted music notation with all those online. I hope you enjoy.